Further Discussion on Working From Home in the Long Term

I agree and the same applies in Canada. However, typically staff positions (non-hourly) are not strictly time monitored and the attitude is you are being paid to perform a function, not watch the clock. Specifically directing someone to work longer hours may be against current labour laws but informally expecting them to is not out of the question.

Joe: "Hey boss, I can't get all this done within the time available"
Boss: "You don't have to drive to work every day so you have more time available. If you have a problem with that maybe we should rethink the WFH arrangement."

Thanks for the input, much appreciated. See my response to Kiron.

Thanks for the input. Many underestimate the expenses of WFH although it is very much related to the nature of the work and one's work habits.

Thanks for the response. I agree that the individual owns commute time as it is a consideration when taking on a position. Some live across the street from the office, some in the adjacent town.

However, I am suggesting that some manager/leaders may take advantage and expect employees to show their appreciation for WFH privileges by extending their hours.

Not everyone understands the legal requirements and may submit to the expectation pressures. Doesn't hurt to open up discussions.

I don't disagree with your comments however reality is not always in line with preference or legality. Its not so much what should be but what is being done.

Item 1 & 2: Yes there is personal discipline involved and some have a greater ability to separate work from personal and family life. In my "company office" life I would use the commute time to transfer from office-mode to private/family-mode. In my WFH life I would set specific time restrictions - I became a clock watcher.

Item 3: There are a couple of scenarios here 1) the company reduces office facilities thus realizing a reduction in expenses. Those savings can be directed to the WFH employee although the expenses of a multitude of WFH employees is more than normal office expenses. and 2) the company retains the office facilities however allows/encourages WFH thus there is a duplication Who pays for that duplication? If the company perceives the WFH benefit to be mainly with the employee it may expect the employee to pay to offset the benefit.
Then in some jurisdictions (Canada for example) WFH expenses are tax deductible thus the general taxpayer covers some of the cost to providing that service. Is that fair?

Item 4: As I have noted earlier, although there may be laws and conventions related to working hours and ownership of commute time in reality it allows a poor manager/leader to take greater advantage of staff.

Although some of the issues with WFH are personal discipline, companies need to be aware of the risks. Unhappy staff means poor results. Unhappiness can be from poor personal decisions or unfair employment practices.

In the long term I see that more and more of us will become independent contractors rather than staff. This leads to whole other set of questions and concerns.

You are welcome. In my case it was a result of cost/benefit analysis. The beneift home office give me versus the associated cost (monetary and non monetary) I assumed are good for me. For example, in my case, I am paying for the internet service but I do not have to go to the office (25 km from my home) and I can manage my work/life time using the time available for not going/returning to the office. In my personal evaluation internet service is something I had in my home and I have to have it no matter I work from home or not. Other example is I do not have an exclusive space in my home to use as an "office". But it does not matter for me because I use a notebook then I can move to the space I consider the best for making my work "happy" and confortable. And the basic thing: nobody in my company can take my time and space. I mean, while I am open to exceptions, I manage my time and space no matter I am involved on programs where the top, top, top management in the company are key stakeholders. At the end, as other things in the life, is up to you.